How to copyright a screenplay online how to#
How to copyright a screenplay online movie#

So while it may be the case that your idea could, in theory, be “stolen,” technically speaking, it isn’t worth anything. It happens all the time in Hollywood, which is why you get situations like this:

And when it comes to theft of an intangible item, you can’t really point to anything and say, “That was mine.”Ī person may be inspired by your idea and write something of their own, in which case it becomes their “fixed form of tangible expression.Īnd sometimes, writers hit on the same thing at the same time, independent of each other. If you say you’ve got an idea for a family drama that plays out over many years throughout outer space, that could be Star Wars, but it could also be Interstellar. While your idea can be stolen, if that’s all it is, it’s likely that not much is really being stolen, because that’s all it is: an idea. “Copyright protects ‘original works of authorship’ that are fixed in a tangible form of expression.” Idea Theft Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed.” “Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. The LawĪccording to the US Copyright Office, this is the definition of copyright:

How to copyright a screenplay online movie#

So before you start taking steps to make sure nobody takes your billion-dollar movie and leaves you with nothing, you want to have a clear understanding of what may be out there, and what copyright law is designed to protect. The long answer is yes you should, but the threat of theft is perhaps different than your thinking.

Protecting Your Screenplay Should I protect my script? While the reality of the situation isn’t as dire as our fear would have us believe, there are a few things to consider in protecting your ideas and your work.

How to copyright a screenplay online how to#

Knowing how to protect your screenplay is thus a good idea to avoid it. The fear of having those ideas taken from you and passed off as someone else’s is one that we all share. No matter how strong your writing is on the page, no matter how charming you are in any room, at the end of the day the longevity of your screenwriting career will rest on your ideas.